Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex: Building Bridges
To serve business needs, enterprises often end up installing custom software or using multiple tools to fulfil requirements.
Many tools offer freedom to avail distinct features, but accessing those features from different resources can be a daunting task.
That’s where interoperability makes sense.
When two or more applications interoperate, they offer users to have access to all features.
The co-existence of two tools not only provides an extensive list of functionalities but also makes the workplace productivity, and the business process twice as efficient.
Messaging interoperability: Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex
The number of messaging users is rapidly growing.
If you’re a Webex user in a traditional office environment and you need to chat with a Microsoft Teams user, you’d need to log out of the app and log into your Microsoft app instead. Time consuming, unproductive, poor user experience. With Mio, you can stay inside your preferred tool, and direct message your coworkers across platform. The Cisco Webex Meetings app for Microsoft Teams doesn’t support accounts on webex.meetings.com, on meetingsln.webex.com, or on Cisco Webex Meetings Server sites. Limited to Cisco Webex Meeting functionality. Messages, chats, files etc cannot be exchanged via the Webex Meeting app for Microsoft Teams.
From around 1.6 billion users in 2014 to 3.8 billion users in 2018, the growth of messaging provides an insight into the need and challenges on interoperability between messaging and collaboration tools.
To meet the distinct demands of the company, more and more enterprises are seeking means to bridge the features of multiple tools in one system.
While many applications can be bridged together, this article mainly addresses the interoperability of Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex.
Here, we will highlight the best medium of connecting these two tools, and making the most of it.
Why Microsoft and Cisco is a great combination
Here’s why Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex make for a perfect interoperability combination:
- With Microsoft Teams, the users can avail Microsoft Licenses, Skype for Business features, and integrate natively with Office 365 features
- Given Cisco’s legacy, users get access to hardware like Cisco Webex boards, VoIP handsets, and telepresence solutions
- Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex interoperability is the optimum solution for company acquisitions and mergers where one company’s resources are on Microsoft Teams, and the other one uses Cisco Webex.
- Where Cisco Webex offers core hardware, Microsoft allows integration with leading third-party tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, Trello, Slack, Outlook, Survey Monkey, Wrike, Jira, Folly, and many more
Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex interoperability options
1 – Cisco Webex and Microsoft Teams Office 365 integration
Recently, Cisco announced the compatibility of Webex with Office 365. With such an alliance, the users can easily access OneDrive, SharePoint, and even G-Suite applications within the Webex app.
Pros
1. You no longer require signing off from Webex to access Office 365 productivity tools like MS words, MS Excel, and Powerpoint
2. Since Office 365 assures robust security to your company’s data, Webex integration will allow you to benefit data governance have to keep your files encrypted
3. Content Created in MS tools can be easily transferred to Webex storage space
Cons
1. This combination works fine with different Microsoft Office tools, but the integration of Microsoft Teams is not possible
2. Webex users cannot make changes to Microsoft files
Author Verdict
The MS Office 365 and Webex team’s integration is perfect for users who need to access Office 365 tools within Webex, but it’s not a great pick for those looking for MS team’s collaboration too.
2 – Bot integration
IFTTT (If This Then That) allows the collaboration of applications and devices.
Through IFTTT, a rule or function is established for one device or app based on the action or behavior on another device or app.
One example is syncing an Instagram account with Twitter so the photos display on Twitter rather than a link.
In the business world, a similar process is followed when setting IFTTT for both Cisco and Microsoft. So, when a Webex contact sends a text, the bot in Microsoft Teams also gets a notification.
Pros
1. Users have the freedom to add customized actions
2. Bot integration has several pre-built activities to choose from across an extensive range of devices and applications
3. The familiar feel and design of IFTTT applications in the business world, that you may be used to from a consumer world
Cons
1. Administrative time for adding custom options is lengthy
2. With new users, the administrator is asked to add further actions or recipes
3. Limited features across platforms
Author Verdict
Bot integration can facilitate collaboration across Webex and Teams, but the cross-platform experience is not as seamless since notifications are not received in a native app, instead of in the bot itself.
3 –Cisco Webex Meetings for Microsoft Teams
Microsoft users who wish to host live meetings can integrate with Cisco Webex.
You don’t have to switch to a different tool since the interoperability allows Microsoft users to host Cisco Meetings directly.
Pros
1. Users can host and schedule Cisco meetings without signing out of Microsoft Teams
2. The meeting app is available for Workplace from Facebook and Slack too
Cons
1. During the Webex meeting, from Microsoft Teams, you cannot exchange chats, messages, or files
2. Webex Meetings for Microsoft Teams does not support accounts on meetingsIn.webex.com and webex.meetings.com
Author Verdict
Cisco Webex Host Meetings for Microsoft is an excellent integration, but you’ll have to compromise with limited meeting functionality.
Bridging the gap
Interoperability between Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex is simple.
You don’t need a technical developer, and no longer do you need to shoehorn one app into another. There’s only one tool you need: Mio.
Mio is the only platform to fully sync Cisco Webex and Microsoft Teams.
Mio operates through APIs and runs in the background to offer seamless messaging interoperability across channels and messages.
Webex Teams Out Of Office
To start connecting your Microsoft and Cisco software, you don’t even need to download a new app, as it’s an entirely native experience.
How to Make Cisco Webex and Microsoft Teams Interoperable
You don’t need administrative support or a ton of training to get started. The way Mio allows collaboration across platform is simple.
Here’s how a non-techie can do it:
Step 1: Getting Started
Request a demo here (will open in a new tab).
Sign up by entering your email address and name. A Mio account rep will send you a verification link for account authentication for web-based interoperability experience.
Once your account is registered with Mio, you will need to add basic details that’ll help the system learn which programs or applications you want to sync. Once you have shared account details, Mio will scale to fit your business requirements.
Step 2: Channel mapping and User mapping
The next step involves administering your team and adding the channels of your choice. For example, you can sync the ‘Project Management’ channel in Cisco Webex with the ‘PM’ channel of Microsoft Teams.
If you have dozens of linked channels, you can use the search feature to make the process super efficient.
Step 3: Message Routing
Once you’ve linked your channels, Mio can provide interoperability between these specific teams. There’s also an option to sync all channels in one go. You can also enable future sync so any new channels are automatically synced.
Step 4: People Sync
Mio isn’t restricted to just syncing channels. People Sync allows you to send direct messages between Webex and Microsoft Teams.
Once People Sync is active, Auto Prompt sends automatic prompts to users whenever they receive a message from anyone using Mio so they can start receiving messages from other platforms.
Bridging the gap between Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex in your company
With Mio as a bridging tool, you can easily make your favorite messaging tools interoperable. You no longer need a complicated development or migration strategy if your team’s different applications.
This is a guest post provided by Md Mohsin Ansari, Marketing Manager at Troop Messenger. Troop Messenger is a business messenger that is spreading its wings across all industries by bringing all internal communication to one place. Connect with him on Linkedin.
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Transitioning back to the office is a concern for many organizations and their employees. Recommendations about masks, strict cleaning schedules, capacity limits, and social distancing measures need to be considered to ensure that the journey back into the office is a safe one.
Cisco and Appspace make it easy to create a clear “safe return to the office” strategy through digital signage and simple space management. Cisco Webex Rooms offer a collaboration device for every space and scenario. At the same time, Appspace delivers a comprehensive workplace experience platform – and together, they built a best-in-class communication and engagement standard. This allows you to deploy a consistent brand across your entire digital workplace, and provides a secure, cost-effective way of centralizing content delivery, and standardizing internal and external communications.
“In today’s rapidly changing environment, the power of the Cisco + Appspace platform is unmatched. It’s ease and simplicity allow organizations to communicate without borders all while leveraging investments in Webex Room devices and APIs.
Appspace’s unique integration with Webex Teams further extends these capabilities to allow you to communicate with confidence to your entire workforce and return to a safer working environment.” – Jim Koniecki – Principal Consultant – NTT
Lobby and Check-In Experiences
In the lobby, the Webex Share and Appspace work together to deliver critical and engaging content to your displays. Everything from safety messages and videos to live data from Cisco DNA Spaces informs office goers about building occupancy and what to expect throughout the space. What’s unique about the Webex Share is that it is a small, affordable device that allows you to effortlessly share content to any display – protecting your investments with other hard clients and helping you instantly transform any screen into a tech-enabled communications solution.
Cisco and Appspace create an easy-to-use kiosk experience on the Webex Desk Pro as well. Office guests can use the Desk Pro to check-in, and the Appspace visitor registration workflow takes pictures, provides NDA documents to sign, and notifies the individual expecting the guest that they have arrived. It can even connect with a badge printer and print an access badge or sticker for the guest. As we return to work, visitor management is a feature that many will need to adopt to control traffic flow in and out of their office spaces.
Meeting Room Experiences
Interested in posting reminders about cleaning touch devices or limiting a larger room to fewer participants? These integrations provide multiple opportunities for digital signage, custom layouts, and messages, all customizable to your needs. You can also keep your teams informed by displaying a live COVID-19 dashboard with information from the World Health Organization (WHO) or trigger an Emergency Alert for an event that requires attention.
These displays can also be used with Appspace to live stream video such as company town hall meetings. Further, when not being used for active meetings or streams, training content can be uploaded and displayed right on the device. This helps increase user adoption and technology training in the workplace, ensuring that all employees can use the resources in the room.
Cisco Webex Teams Free Download
Enterprise Messaging Integration, the Appspace Content Portal, and Workplace Displays
Beyond workplace displays, it is still critical to keep everyone informed about important company news and safety information. Regardless of where they are – whether it is at work, at home, or on the go, using a touch-based device, such as the Cisco Webex Board or Desk Pro, employees can browse through shared channels using the touch interface in the all-new Appspace content portal. The portal allows users to access reports, videos, safety messages, presentations, workplace services information, and much more, creating an “always connected” experience. Employees can choose to browse the content that is the most relevant to them, and you’ll be able to distribute that content to individuals based on department, role, or any groupings that you choose. This experience also extends to the home office, where employees can browse channels on their personal devices and collaboration endpoints. When these devices are in the half-wake mode, they can display essential messages via digital signage, including data visualizations, safety updates, and emergency alerts.
Taking your content further, Appspace now integrates with enterprise messaging apps, including Webex Teams. Post content as you usually would to workplace displays, and it appears perfectly formatted in the Teams spaces you choose. Using pre-designed templates, creating content is a breeze, and stays perfectly formatted and on brand regardless of the display size or location. This workflow allows you to send critical communications to your team via a platform they use daily and can check anywhere.
“The user interface, coupled with the ability to leverage communication within our newly deployed Webex environment, made Appspace a very attractive option to assist in our corporate communications. Streamlined and consistent communication channels that deploy to the assortment of devices we have out there is cost-effective as we grow the number of devices out in the enterprise. We can also bring more departments onto the platform due to the friendly content creation experience.” –Dan Van Roekel, Sanford Health.
If you want to learn more about ensuring a safe journey back into the office,sign up for our upcoming webinar, Safely Return to The Office with Webex Rooms, on August 18th, 2020.
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